Thieves who tried to steal up to 180 metres of cable from the tracks leading into the Channel Tunnel at Ebbsfleet International station are being hunted by police.

Two distinctive trolleys were left at the scene, which officers believe would have been used to transport the cable, used for signalling, if it had been cut sucesfully.

The incident is believed to have taken place between 7.30pm on Monday, 3 June and 6pm on Tuesday, 4 June.

Police discovered the trolleys before calling engineers to inspect the track who found that 180m of cable had been moved.

Sgt Martin Keep, the investigating officer for British Transport Police, said: “We are following a number of leads but, at this stage, I am appealing for members of the public to come forward with any information which may assist the investigation and help us prevent these crimes taking place in their neighbourhoods.

“The theft of cable is not just an attack on the railway – it has a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of thousands of passengers.

“We have a dedicated team of officers working throughout the area to tackle this type of crime, which has resulted in significant reductions in levels of offending.

“We are also catching and prosecuting more cable thieves than ever before. However, this crime still poses a serious threat to the railway infrastructure and we will not become complacent. We will continue to take action and focus our resources to drive this type of crime down even further.

“We believe the two distinctive trolleys which officers discovered very close to the tracks were to be used by the offenders to remove the cable from the line.

“I’d urge anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity close to the tracks between those two dates, or who saw the trolleys on those days, to come forward.”

Police said passengers would have faced long delays if the theft had been successful.